Sunday Words of Encouragement October 2, 2022 - Recognize God!

Our Sunday School teacher shared a message on The Marriage Supper (or Feast) of the Lamb based on Revelation 19. It is a beautiful analogy of God preparing the Church as the bride for Christ, as the groom. I will make up a post on this for another time.

Our church service enjoyed strong worship music before our guest speaker shared a message. The speaker has a long ministry of revival for many years in the United States and now worldwide, in Africa and Mexico. He will be leading services Monday through Wednesday evenings. He will lead a healing service, a spiritual outpouring for all ages and concluding with a service for generational blessings. I hope to get to go at least two nights.

The pastor noted that Jesus is the divine healer, but pastor’s initial message was based on the scripture message from God's word in Matthew 14:35-36. The passages ends with a statement that ‘those who touched Christ’s garment were healed [or made whole].’

The pastor reminded us that healing doesn't always happen in an instant. There may be years of study or hearing of the word that is preparation for the healing.
We believe that before we call, God knows and answers. Isaiah 65:24.
Before the world was formed God knew us and formed us. Isaiah 44:24, Isaiah 49:15, Psalm 71:6, Jeremiah 1:5, Galatians 1:15-16.
We believe that God has been working on this community.
.
Look back at the first line of this morning’s scripture. The key is they “recognized” Him!! The greatest thing God has ever done for the believer is to reveal Himself to us. Salvation is a miracle. We respond to His call and our salvation is by Jesus alone. Jesus is the Centerpiece of All. He is not just the final word, He is all the words.

Pray that God manifest himself to you!

God revealed himself to Abraham as El Shaddai – the God who is ‘more than enough’. And God made covenant with Abraham. God said to Abraham: ‘Can you count the stars or the grains of sand? I will give you more.’ Learn to see God as the God of More!

We don’t see God by one encounter. Just as a photo image captures only a moment – it might be a moment of sadness, love, joy, or other emotion. We need multiple contacts to know God.
We are often taught that the believer’s goal is eternal life. But going to heaven is a benefit, not the goal. The real goal should be to be like him, to reflect his characteristics.
When a woman has a baby, after learning that the mother and child are safe and well, the next question is often “who does he look like?”

God is looking to see the characteristics of His son in us.

I chose this song which speaks to me for today’s message: Who Am I?

Verses for Today (two translations):
Matthew 14:35-36 NIV
35 And when the men of that place recognized Jesus, they sent word to all the surrounding country. People brought all their sick to him 36 and begged him to let the sick just touch the edge of his cloak, and all who touched it were healed.


Matthew 14:35-36 King James Version
35 And when the men of that place had knowledge of him, they sent out into all that country round about, and brought unto him all that were diseased.
36 And besought him that they might only touch the hem of his garment: and as many as touched were made perfectly whole.


(Interestingly my Bible reading this morning before church included Luke 17:21. Although I am looking forward to God’s Kingdom to come, this reminded me that the Kingdom is here now if I have believed in Christ and allowed the Holy Spirit to dwell in me.)
God, please help me to recognize You and to become more like You.

Audible Book Review: After the Ending by Lindsey Fairleigh, Lindsey Pogue

 This is a bit on the teen angsty side for me but the post-apocalyptic story had some interest as survivors developed supernatural abilities.

After The Ending
The Ending Series, #1
By: Lindsey Fairleigh, Lindsey Pogue
Narrated by: Natalie Duke

Series: The Ending Series, Book 1
Length: 18 hrs and 10 mins
Release date: 04-25-14 Publisher: L2 Books
Genre: Post-Apocalyptic, Sci Fi
My Rating: 3.5 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.5; Narration 3.75.

Publisher's Summary
The best-selling first audiobook in the emotionally charged post-apocalyptic romance series, The Ending Series.
The virus spread. Billions died. The ending began. We may have survived the apocalypse, but the virus changed us.
When people started getting sick, they thought it was just the flu. My roommate, my boyfriend, my family ...they're all gone now. I got sick too. I should have died with them - with the rest of the world - but I didn't. I thought witnessing the human population almost disappear off the face of the earth was the craziest thing I'd ever experience. I was so wrong. My name is Dani O'Connor, I'm twenty-six-years-old, and I survived the ending.
The virus changed everything. The world I knew is gone, and life is backwards. We've all had to start over. I've been stripped of my home, my dreams ...all that is me. I'm someone else now-broken and changed. Other survivors' memories and emotions haunt me. They invade my mind until I can no longer separate them from my own. I won't let them consume me. I can't. My name is Zoe Cartwright, I'm twenty-six-years-old, and I survived the ending.
We've been inseparable for most of our lives, and now our friendship is all we have left. The aftermath of the virus has stranded us on opposite sides of the United States. Trusting strangers, making sacrifices, killing - we'll do anything to reach one another. Fear and pain may be unavoidable, but we're strong ...we're survivors. But to continue surviving in this unfamiliar world plagued by crazies and strange new abilities, we have to adapt. We have to evolve.
And more than anything, we have to find each other.
This audiobook contains some adult content and language.

Review:
Dani and Zoe are in their mid-twenties and best of friends separated across the country when billions die from a rapid virus. They are able to determine they are both alive because they can communicate by email. Dani’s boyfriend died and she is devastated…at least until Zoe’s older brother, Jason, arrives to rescue her.

Zoe gathers a group of friends to head west to meet up with her brother while he has a handful of young men and women traveling to a place they believe will be safe. Along the way the separate groups run into hostile forces who want to control where they can go and what they can do.

The young people who have survived seem to be obsessed with sex. I struggled along in the teen angst because at mid-point it became clear that several of the survivors were developing unique powers. Although the abilities may be helpful, they soon are considered freaks who are a threat to others.

I felt the characters were shallow and not well developed, other than being whiney and on the weak side. I wasn’t particularly engaged by the survival because it is overwhelmed by the drama. Over the breadth of the story a romance develops for both Dani and Zoe. This is portrayed nicely without being graphic and at least gave some favorable elements to the story. I’m not planning on continuing the series. This is a post-apocalyptic story that would be good for a younger audience and for readers who enjoy supernatural elements.

Audio Notes: Natalie Duke precisely captures the young whiny female voices. I don’t think she managed the male voices as well. Still, the narration made this longish book move along for me.

Source: April 2014 Audible Credit. This qualifies for 2022TBR and 2022Audiobook goals.

Audio Book Review: A Matter of Trust by Lis Wiehl & April Henry

This is an okay crime mystery story.
A Matter of Trust
Written by Lis Wiehl & April Henry
Read by Eleni Pappageorge

Run Time 9h 6min
Release Date: September 17, 2019
Publisher: Thomas Nelson
Genre: Crime Fiction, Legal Procedure, Mysteries
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0 Overall; Story 3.75; Narration 4.0.

Publisher Description
When life is murder, who can you trust? One minute Mia Quinn is in her basement, chatting on the phone with a colleague at the prosecutor’s office. The next minute she hears a gunshot over the line, and Mia listens in horror as her colleague and friend Colleen bleeds to death.
Mia’s a natural for heading up the murder investigation, but these days it’s all she can do to hold her life together. As a new widow with a pile of debts, a troubled teenaged son, and a four-year-old who wakes up screaming at night, she needs more time with her family, not less-and working Colleen’s case will be especially demanding. But Colleen was her friend, and she needs to keep her job. So Mia reluctantly teams up with detective Charlie Carlson to investigate. But the deeper they dig, the more complications unfold-even the unsettling possibility that someone may be coming after her.
Lis Wiehl’s signature plot twists and relatable characters shine in this absorbing series debut … with an intriguing cameo from her best-selling Triple Threat series. ôA stunning crime series debut … Smart, suspenseful, and full of twists that only an insider like Wiehl could pull off”. (Linda Fairstein, New York Times best-selling author).

Review:
Mia Quinn is a new widow juggling life with her teenage son and her return to the workforce as a prosecutor. She wants to pursue a case against high school students who bullied another student who then committed suicide. Her superiors want her to concentrate on other cases as the bullying is an iffy case to prove.

While Mia is on the phone with her partner, Colleen, suddenly she hears a shot over the phone and Colleen stops speaking. Mia asks her teen son to hold the phone while she rushes to the scene. There she meets up with police detective, Charlie Carlson, not one of her favorite officers. Charlie often goes outside of the rule book to accomplish his goals and Mia doesn’t find that acceptable.

Mia’s boss asks her to partner with Carlson to investigate the death of her friend. Although it is rough for Mia to take on another case, she reluctantly agrees. The two begin get assistance from a tech wizard to dig deeper into connections between Colleen’s ‘execution’ and a similar case that is years old. Their poking into details seems to be paying off when Mia is stalked, and threats are received. It appears that someone close to the legal system has extra information on the case.

To complicate Mia’s life, her four-year-old daughter is having traumatic night terrors, Mia is still working on the bully case, and to top things off, she is learning unsettling facts about her deceased husband. Mia is fortunate to receive some unexpected help from her father. With all the emotional upset and work to juggle, can Mia accept Carlson’s help and uncover the murderer?

I actually wasn’t aware that prosecutors were involved in investigating a case quite this much but it makes some sense, especially if the budget is tight for investigators. I’m not a big fan of messy drama which of course filled this story. However, I did enjoy the mystery and the process that Mia and Carlson used to pursue the clues. I would recommend this to fans of crime mystery and legal procedure (with a healthy side of drama).

Audio Notes: Eleni Pappageorge does a good job with the narration. She portrays the drama without going too far overboard. The story was easy to listen to and a good way for me to ‘read’ the book.

Source: August 2020 Chirp Purchase at $3.99. This qualifies for 2022TBR and 2022Audiobook goals.

Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway September 30, 2022 (A Day Late)

Happy Friday (on Saturday)!
TO ENTER FRIDAY PICK.
No impact from Hurricane Ian this far north in Florida. I just had another crazy week. I wasn't home before 9pm any night and after midnight one night. UGH.
I still have some GC emails and payments to complete and books to pull for mailing soon.

US Entrants: Leave a comment and tell me WHICH BOOK you would like to get from the Friday Pick lists.

INTERNATIONAL: Leave a comment indicating "Gift Card" (see further comments near the end of the post.)

CUT OFF TIME IS THURSDAY NIGHTS AT 9:00 PM CENTRAL so I do not have to stay up too late to do the winner post! I will randomly pick two winners to announce Friday mornings with the next Pick post.

Thank you to all who entered the September 23, 2022 Pick. There was no automatic win last week. Automatic wins are those who requested the book four times without other people asking for that book during those weeks. There was no title blocked.

CONGRATULATIONS to one winner (only 7 entries):
Random.org picked Winner from September 23, 2022 Pick:
MARJORIE gets a GC

All winners please fill in the Winner's Acceptance Form or email me to confirm your win, send your snail mail address information and let me know if you would like bookmarks - sensual, sexy or sweet bookmarks. {The form is new because Google changed their forms and the old one wasn't letting me print out the responses.}

Yay for fall and cooler weather -- and reading ideas!
Image found at Around the Kampfire.

New Book Box #96 June 10, 2022

PAIR:
Liz Carlyle: Three Little Secrets and My False Heart
Johanna Lindsey: Brave the Wild Wind and Fires of Winter
SINGLE TITLES
Against the Sky by Kat Martin
Devil in Winter by Lisa Kleypas

The Eagle and the Dove by Jane Feather
Heir to a Dark Inheritance by Maisey Yates
The Ideal Man by Julie Garwood
Last of the Breed by Louis L'Amour
A Legacy of Secrets by Carol Marinelli
Marry in Secret by Anne Gracie
No Greater Treasure by Ellen Kelley
One Minute Out by Mark Greaney
Texas Born by Diana Palmer
The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (Illustrated Classic Edition)
While Others Sleep by Helen R. Myers


New Book Box #95 November 7, 2021

I'll add the titles through the week (16 including 2 doubles, 1 pair).
(on top) (Two) Rancher's Wild Secret and Hold Me Cowboy by Maisey Yates
(on top) Shadowlight by Lynn Viehl
(Two) The Taming & The Conquest by Jude Deveraux
My Darling Caroline by Adele Ashworth
Love's Surprise by Karen Ball
Manhunt by Wayne Barton and Stan Williams - Audio CDs
After the Light by Kimberly Clark Sharp (Hardback)


New Book Box #94 May 28, 2021 (10 books)

Three One Audio CD Books:
Dance Upon the Air by Nora Roberts
SINGLE TITLES
Flowers From the Storm by Laura Kinsale
The Hidden Heart by Laura Kinsale

New Book Groups #92 and #93 November 13, 2020.
#92 (15 books):

A Most Unsuitable Man by Jo Beverley
The Tender Stranger by Carolyn Davidson
Her Wedding Wish by Jillian Hart
Heart's Desire by Ruth Ryan Hagan
The Deputy's Duty by Terri Reed

Box #93 (14 books)

Seducing Mr. Darcy by Gwyn Cready
There's Only Been You by Donna Marie Rogers (personally signed)
For the Love of Pete by Julia Harper
The Irish Bride by Alexa Harrington
When We Met by Susan Mallery
All of Me by Lori Wilde

New Book Group #91 October 2, 2020 - Suspense themed

SINGLES: Ten books in this box:
Fight or Flight by Natalie J. Damschroder


PICK TWO  your choice (listed below the picture) Nora Roberts:

Born in Fire Audiobook Cassettes
Montana Sky
Valley of Silence


New Book Group #90 June 19, 2020
Quite a few mysteries in this box.

SINGLES:
Alias by Smy J. Fetzer
Hot Sex by Janet Evanovich (Audio cassettes)

New Book Group #89 March 6, 2020

Singles:
My Surrender by Connie Brockway
How to Tame a Modern Rogue by Diana Holoquist
Phoenix by A.J. Scudiere

New Book Group #88 November 8, 2019

Singles:
A Lady Never Tells by Candace Camp
Dawn of Redemption by Starla Childs

New Book Group #87 August 23, 2019

SINGLES:
Captain's Paradise by Kay Hooper
Open Season by Linda Howard AUDIO CASSETTES

New Book Group #86 June 7, 2019
Another group of variety from my shelves.

SINGLES:
A Question of God's Balance (Vol 1) by Joseph Thek


New Book Group #85 March 22, 2019
A variety from my shelves.

SINGLES:
Daddy's Little Cowgirl (two stories) by Judith Bowen and Kimberly Raye
The Forever Year, Cold Pursuit, Lover's Lane and Temporary Sanity (Reader's Condensed)
ToxiCity by Libby Fischer Hillmann

New Book Group #84 December 15, 2018
Here are some Christmas titles to pick from.

SINGLES:
A Family for Thanksgiving
On this Holy Night
Christmas Haven
King Harold's Snow Job

New Book Group #83 November 30, 2018

(Starting bottom left and continuing up then down)
SINGLE
Seven Up by Janet Evanovich - Audio Cassettes
A Good Walk Spoiled by John Feinstein Audio Cassettes
Three Reader's Digest Condensed Books - each hardback:

Cold Harbour and The Courtship of Peggy McCoy
Follow the Stars Home, Hunting Badger, The Quiet Game and Second Wind

New Book Group #82 November 9, 2018

SINGLES:
Killing Time by Linda Howard
The Wedding Night by Barbara Dawson Smith

New Book Group #81 August 17, 2018
All Gone

New Book Group #80 August 17, 2018

Note: The Final Judgment and
The Book of Fate are Audio Cassettes
SINGLES:
The Final Judgment by Richard North PattersonAudio Cassettes
Firebird by Janice Graham
No Getting Over a Cowboy by Delores Fossen
The Book of Fate by Brad Meltzer Audio Cassettes

New Book Group #79 July 13, 2018
I found this box of books buried under some other boxes.

P.S. by Helen Schulman
Her Sexiest Surprise by Dawn Atkins (personally autographed)
Dakota Child by Linda Ford
Calling the Shots by Ellen Hartman
Promises, Promises by Amber Miller
This Time for Keeps by Jenna Mills
Another Man’s Baby by Kay Stockham

New Book Group #78 April 27, 2018

SINGLES
Blackberry Bush
Breaking Point
A Tangled Affair
Too Wicked to Love
Roses are Red Audio Cassettes

New Book Group #77 February 16, 2018
All Gone

New Book Group #76 November 3, 2017
13 books remain of the original 37:

I finally Have them Listed!
Boots & Booties by Kristine Rolofson
Saucer the Conquest by Stephen Coonts
The Scorpion Seducer by Bonnie Vanak
Hell On Earth by David L. Porter
Crisscross by Harmon Henkin
Maelstrom by Anne McCaffrey
101 Commonsense Rules for the Office by John R. Brinkerhoff

This shelf of 35 books are what is left from Groups #1 (11/27/09) through Group #75 September 29, 2017

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top.)
Rehabilitation
Secret Blessing
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

(Title list reads left at bottom to right at top - 21 titles.)
Plan of Attack by Dan Brown
(*Three One more very old books from my Gothics box.)
*The Man in the Garden by Paule Mason (1969 - yellowed)
Fire Dancer by Ann Maxwell
*Four One books are very old; pulled from a box of gothic novels I found.
*Maggie – Her Marriage by Taylor Caldwell (1953 very old, yellowed pages, some stain damage doesn't effect reading)
First Things First by Stephen R. Covey- Audio Cassette
Trilogy Of Mysteries Audio Book Shadow Prey, There Was A Little Girl, Smokescreen Audio Cassettes (NOT CDs)
Raintree Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones (spine creases)
The Shadowing by Joan Overfield
The Sweetheart Dance by Patti Ann Colt
BOX 4 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 47-53)
Undateable by Ellen Rakieten & Anne Coyle
Jezebel by Katherine Sutcliff
The Hidden Truth of Cytech's Randall Forty by Vickie Kennedy
Breakfast in Bed by Sandra Brown - Audio Cassette Tapes (link is for mass media version)
BOX 3 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 39- 47)
Shetland Summer by Janet Lynnford
BOX 2 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 24- 38)
The Trailsman: Texas Lead Slingers by Jon Sharpe
A Courtesans Guide to Getting Your Man by Susan Donovan and Celeste Bradley -- NOTE This book has dog bite damage; it is missing half back cover and the edges of pages in the back third of the book... it does not effect the text but I will understand if no one wants this one
An Honorable Man by Rosemary Rogers (spine creases)
The Willful Widow by Valerie King (spine wear)
Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov
BOX #1 2015 (reboxed from Boxes 1- 23)
Ghost Writer (Shivers #3) by M.D. Spenser
Alien Chronicles - The Crimson Claw by Deborah Chester

If you saw the pictures posted of my bookshelves and boxes you know I do have lots of books! And that doesn't include the other eight or so boxes at my office!! And more books as I find deals too good to pass up! I am sharing my book bounty by these Friday Pick Giveaways.

I started Friday Pick on November 27, 2009 and in almost TWELVE years I have posted 91 groups of mostly 16 books plus an additional 21 totaling approximately 1,535 books available to find new homes! (As of November 26, 2021).

I am happy to say that so far at least 1,405 books have found new homes through this feature! YAY. [A year or so ago I posted I had reached 2000 books given away. As I calculated the numbers 11/2/17 I realized that had to be an error. I realized I went from 1098 to 2001 instead of 1101. Guess I was tired; sorry for the error.] I have to update my print out to check the exact number sent out - a few were never claimed. I periodically update the lists - deleting those won. You can still go to the Friday Pick list link to see older posts and the older lists book pictures if you want!

Note rules here regarding international entries.

Because postage to overseas can be prohibitive I am willing to give a $5.00 book certificate to international winners - Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, TWRP, etc....you tell me where and I'll set it up. So for my overseas visitors, your comment may indicate a smaller book and I'll check postage or note your choice of gift card.

I learned that The Book Depository does not ship to everywhere. The postage for some of the books to faraway places runs between $7.00 and $10.00 and up. Since I would award $5.00 for The Book Depository to an international winner, as an alternative you may choose a smaller book and we will hope the postage will not exceed $6.00. If the postage is more, or if you want to pick a larger book and you are willing to pay any extra postage beyond the $6.00 I will work with you on that. This may not make a difference to many but if it helps one or two of you to give one of my books a home that will make me happy too. :o)

Repeating this helpful blog tip: You can right click on a link and you will be given the choice to open the link in a new window or tab so you do not navigate away from the screen you are on!! I use this all the time!

Sunday Post September 25, 2022/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday September 26, 2022

I am linking with Sunday Post at Caffeinated Book Reviewer.

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? now at The Book Date (at Wordpress)

What Are You Reading? is where we gather to share what we have read this past week and what we plan to read this week. It is a great way to network with other bloggers, see some wonderful blogs, and put new titles on your reading list.

Last week got lost for several reasons. I was juggling at the office as I prepared to go out of office Friday for a GFWC Florida Board of Directors conference in Orlando.
Heather ended up going home with a fever on Wednesday and is still running a fever today. The minute clinic said it is a viral infection but that shouldn't last a week.

I went to Orlando with two other members of our local club. Saturday was a full day of workshops which I found very informative.

I continue with my previous prayer lists. Adding Canada as well as Puerto Rico... and of course we are praying this week that Tropical Storm Ian goes back to sea.

Last week we had little rain again, but we are expecting rain (if not more) at the end of this week.  Day temps will range from 71 to 93.

This week I only finished two audios, one long and one short. I didn't have much listening time during our trip since I was navigator and shotgun rider to help keep the driver alert. I didn't get any reviews posted with late nights at work taking priority (plus one night of picking audios on sale). So I only have four posts last week: Sunday post, two additional posts, and Friday Pick.

I visited 16 blogs again last week, but no shout out today.

Audible offerings for free children's titles ended June 30, 2021.
Audiobooks.com is still sharing some free listens for children.

These were the posts last week:

• Sunday Post September 18, 2022/It's Monday! What are You Reading? Plus Mailbox Monday September 19, 2022.

• MBS August 2022 Reading List Wrap Up.

• MBS 2022 FRATERFEST READATHON #FraterfestRAT.

• Martha's Bookshelf***Friday Pick Giveaway September 23, 2022. Open Worldwide. Ending 9/22/2022.
  
  

Finished Reading:
1. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

Ruins of the Galaxy
Ruins of the Galaxy, Book 1
By: J.N. Chaney, Christopher Hopper
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Length: 14 hrs and 3 mins
Release date: 04-28-20
This is entertaining although similar to other space sci fis.
Source: 12/27/2020 Audible Two for One Credit Sale.
Click on book title for full description.

2. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

The Science of Sci-Fi
From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel
By: Erin Macdonald, The Great Courses
Narrated by: Erin Macdonald
Length: 3 hrs and 59 mins
I found this interesting even if I didn't grasp all the true science.
Source: 3/28/2020 Free Audible Original
About This Audible Original
Science fiction allows listeners to go places they can only dream of seeing—other worlds, distant stars, entirely different galaxies. While not every story is concerned with the hard science behind space travel and other futuristic ventures, fiction can give listeners an amazing insight into what people could be capable of and what people dream of doing.
In the 10 lectures of The Science of Sci-Fi: From Warp Speed to Interstellar Travel, Professor Erin Macdonald interweaves real science and the achievements of the imagination to reveal the truth that underlies favorite stories and sheds light on what the future may hold. From faster-than-light travel to journeys through time itself, science fiction makes humanity seem limitless. So, what scientific boundaries are people pushing against while seeking to fly among the stars?
Beginning with an overview of the physics of time and space, Professor Macdonald shows how stories extrapolate current knowledge to create visions of the future and how likely—or unlikely—these fictional journeys could be. What would happen if a spaceship flew into a wormhole, as it does in the film Galaxy Quest? Or, what would happen if someone fired a rocket launcher on the Moon like the soldiers of Mass Effect? Could someone ever break the bounds of light speed as they do in Star Wars and move across the universe without spending decades trying to make it to a distant exoplanet? Is the transporter technology of Star Trek really possible?
As listeners look closely at artificial gravity, inertial dampeners, tachyons, red matter, time dilation, and other sci-fi mainstays through the theories of some of science’s greatest thinkers, they will find that their favorite science fiction stories become even more astonishing.
©2019 Audible Originals, LLC (P)2019 Audible Originals, LLC

Currently Reading:
1. Audible Smartphone (ATBR)

Lovelight Farms
By: B.K. Borison
Narrated by: Pippa Jayne
Series: Lovelight, Book 1
Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
I am ready for a lighter holiday title.
Source: 2022 NetGalley.
Publisher's Summary
A pasture of dead trees, a hostile takeover of the Santa barn by a family of raccoons, and shipments that have mysteriously gone missing—Lovelight Farms is not the magical winter wonderland of Stella Bloom’s dreams.
In an effort to save the Christmas tree farm she’s loved since she was a kid, she enters a contest with instafamous influencer Evelyn St. James. With the added publicity and the $100,000 cash prize, she might just be able to save the farm from its financial woes. There’s just one problem. To make the farm seem like a romantic destination for the holidays, she lied on the application and said she owns Lovelight Farms with her boyfriend. Only there is no boyfriend.
Enter her best friend Luka Peters. He just came home for some hot chocolate, and somehow got a farm and a serious girlfriend in the process.
Lovelight Farms is a romantic comedy featuring a handsome freckled data analyst, a messy, optimistic Christmas-tree-farm owner, and a small town with the best hazelnut lattes on the east coast.
This sweet and steamy romance is a holiday happily ever after and the first book in a series of interconnected standalones following the three Lovelight owners.
©2021 B.K. Borison (P)2022 Dreamscape Media, LLC

I haven't picked my next audio yet.

September 25, 2022 - I remain current and enjoying the reading. I get excited watching the devotion videos.  The Bible Reading Plan is: BibleProject | One Story that Leads to Jesus. It really soothes me to read/listen to the pieces each day.
I was invited to do a three day study this week: The Names of God.

I added two more titles I still need to review: 8 10 books plus 7 children's books. I keep working on these. :-)

NETGALLEY STATUS-- Two new audio titles I'll be listening to soon.
My NG shelf still has three old ebook titles. I will probably end up letting A Place Called Armageddon go as DNF.
I don't have any author reviews in my queue right now but I may be getting one this week.
(Plus a few that I received from Facebook links and newsletter sign-ups, not specific review requests.)
Still many titles through InstaFreebie and many new author requests I haven't replied to.

Welcome to Mailbox Monday.

Mailbox Monday is a gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week and explore great book blogs. This Meme started with Marcia at A Girl and Her Books (fka The Printed Page) and after a tour of hosts has returned to its permanent home at Mailbox Monday. Thanks to the ladies sharing hosting duties: Serena of Savvy Verse & Wit, me and new to the team, Velvet at vvb32reads. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

Two new audio review titles from NetGalley and a pdf review request this week.
I got caught up with the Audible sale picking up titles for under $3.50 and trying to keep the number reasonable. I limited the first set to 10 and then picked up 3 historical romance from an author I like. I'll list the romances next week along with some Audible plus titles I picked up too.
No free Kindle titles this week.
Are your mailbox and TBR piles blooming?

***ATTENTION: Mailbox Monday is looking for a new host! If you’re interested, please email savvyverseandwit AT gmail ***

Review Titles

I agreed to review this title as it is a topic of interest for me:
As part of the 9/26 release launch, there is a 99c promo on the Kindle edition.

Stumbling Toward the Sacred: An Unexpected Journey to Personally Knowing God
by Jeremy Downs
Source: Archangel Ink Outreach


I received two Holiday audio titles through NetGalley:

Lovelight Farms
By: B.K. Borison
Narrated by: Pippa Jayne
Series: Lovelight, Book 1
Length: 10 hrs and 15 mins
I am ready for a lighter holiday title.

Santa's Little Yelpers
An Andy Carpenter Mystery
By: David Rosenfelt
Narrated by: Grover Gardner
Series: An Andy Carpenter Novel, Book 26
Length: 6 hrs and 41 mins
I always enjoy the legal process and police procedures of this series.

Won

NONE

Purchased

9/20/22 Ten books under $3.50 each.
2 Series I’ve wanted to continue:

Beastly Bones, A Jackaby Novel
By: William Ritter
Narrated by: Nicola Barber
Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Hell Divers II: Ghosts
The Hell Divers Series, Book 2
By: Nicholas Sansbury Smith
Narrated by: R.C. Bray
Length: 8 hrs and 13 mins


2 Alternate History - a genre which I like.

Stars & Stripes Forever
A Novel of Alternate History
By: Harry Harrison
Narrated by: Robin Bloodworth
Length: 12 hrs and 11 mins

1901
By: Robert Conroy
Narrated by: L.J. Ganser
Length: 14 hrs and 18 mins



2 different Fantasy titles
Cyperpunk Fantasy

Farmer, Light Online Series, Book 1
By: Tom Larcombe
Narrated by: Derek Shoales
Length: 10 hrs and 23 mins



Fairy Tale Retelling

Beauty, A Retelling of the Story of Beauty & the Beast
By: Robin McKinley
Narrated by: Charlotte Parry
Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins



Nonfiction

Please Stop Helping Us
How Liberals Make It Harder for Blacks to Succeed
By: Jason L. Riley
Narrated by: J. D. Jackson
Length: 5 hrs and 41 mins


3 Sci Fi Titles
Military in Space (Recommended by my son)

Phule's Company
Phule's Company, Book 1
By: Robert Asprin
Narrated by: Noah Michael Levine
Length: 7 hrs and 10 mins


Sci Fi, Space Opera

Deathstalker Legacy
Deathstalker Reborn Series, Book 1
By: Simon R. Green
Narrated by: Gildart Jackson
Length: 22 hrs and 53 mins


Classic, Sci Fi

Beginner's Luck, Character Development, Book 1
By: Aaron Jay
Narrated by: Rhys David
Length: 11 hrs and 5 mins

Free

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